Hey Lawn Care professionals, I recently started my business this summer and have started not expecting to be in business till next year but everything went myway and I started. I have worked at a country club in Milwaukee for over 2 years and I am known there for great service and a postively memorable experience. Mothers day of this year one of my friends dads who owns a very large management company and owns and leases hundreds of buildings. So I started with that and things grew and I opened my mouth to members of the club. And have had a great response and many have asked for my services this or next year. I have just a few have a few questions of what you guys are charging so that im competitive with other lawn and landscape companies in my area.

1. What do you charge for a large home on about an acre with alot of trimming, the house is approx 450,000??

2. What do you charge for a business on 2 acres??

3. How do you go about charging for hedging bushes, and trees and cutting down trees??

4. What do you charge for putting in mulch beds around trees, lets say with a radius of 4ft around a tree with/ out materials?

5. Ive been putting in alot of mulch beds and I have been using a weed barrier and black edging, but im buying it from Home Depot, is there somewhere else that contractors can get that kind of materials for cheaper??

Thanks to everyone for listening and for the responses, I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Thanks
GREATER

LAWNGODFATHER

08-10-2002, 11:56 PM

I see you have a lot of researching and reading to do.

Click Here To Search Lawnsite (http://www.lawnsite.com/search.php)

greenman

08-11-2002, 01:01 AM

1.for basic maintenance, $120.

2.$140,w/minimal trimming

3.by the hour, estimate the time it takes to do the job then give total, don't give your hourly rate.

4.$15.

5. don't use it if you are going to maintain it.....use it (commercial grade) if you are not going to be the one maintaining it

LAWNGODFATHER

08-11-2002, 01:06 AM

Originally posted by greenman
4.$15.

5. don't use it if you are going to maintain it.....use it (commercial grade) if you are not going to be the one maintaining it

$15 to dig all the sod out and edge a 4' radius around a tree. I got lot's of work for you at that price just to dig it out.

Explain#5 better, why? and why not?

#1 and #2 is that price for a month or a cut, if a month what does it include?

GreaterMilwLawnscape

08-11-2002, 01:24 AM

Based on a weekly basis it takes about an hour to cut, trim, blow with just one person, then the owner also has me cut his busines which is 2 acres and takes about 2 hours to do. so please let me know what you think??

GreaterMilwLawnscape

08-11-2002, 01:26 AM

5. A 4ft radius is a 8ft circle from one side to the other and to put the landscape fabric down and the black edging in and mulch on top of that. I wont be maintaining it. How much should i charge per tree????

LAWNGODFATHER

08-11-2002, 02:13 AM

I ment greenman on those.

Now that we have some sort of times there is a possablity for a more accurate pricing scale.

First I don't know your overhead, but around $45 to $60 an hour is pretty good.

So #1 = $50 a cut and #2 = $100 a cut

I could never price the tree ring sight un seen. Nor would I give a per a tree price. I do those Time and Man hours being billed by the hour except for supplies and the mulch I have a flat fee.

greenman

08-11-2002, 11:46 AM

lawngodfather-
the $15?-I was talking about just to lay the mulch, assuming it was already prepped-
#1 and #2- per cut, just rough estimate to give him an idea- never bid without going over the property or measuring-

crazygator

08-11-2002, 12:53 PM

Ok I will help you out. But you still have to find out if what your area prices are and what the market can stand: